Valencia Court Apartments facts for kids
The Valencia Court Apartments are a group of four apartment buildings located in Rockford, Illinois, in the United States. They were designed by a local architect named Jesse A. Barloga. These apartments are a great example of a building style called Mission Revival architecture, which was popular in Illinois.
Quick facts for kids |
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Valencia Court Apartments
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 500-518 Fisher Ave., Rockford, Illinois |
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| Area | 1.1 acres (0.45 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Barloga, Jesse A. |
| Architectural style | Mission/spanish Revival |
| Part of | Garrison–Coronado–Haskell Historic District (ID11001030) |
| NRHP reference No. | 09001123 |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 2009 |
Contents
A Look Back in Time
The Valencia Court Apartments were built in the 1920s. This was a time when Rockford, Illinois, was growing and doing very well. The apartments were made for people who wanted a nice, but not too expensive, place to live. The rooms were a bit small. However, the buildings looked fancy, similar to popular apartments in big cities like Chicago. Early records show that both single people and married couples lived there when the apartments first opened.
The Architect: Jesse A. Barloga
Jesse A. Barloga was the architect who designed these apartments. He was from a nearby town called Pecatonica. Barloga designed many buildings in Rockford. He was known for being good at creating popular architectural styles. He designed at least 114 single-family homes in Rockford.
Mission Revival Style
The design of the Valencia Court Apartments is called Mission Revival architecture. This style looks like the old Spanish missions found in places like California and Texas. Some of the special features of this style on the Valencia Court Apartments include:
- Stucco siding (a type of plaster on the outside walls)
- Red ceramic tile roofs
- Arched windows and doors
- Fancy ironwork decorations
Jesse A. Barloga also designed two other buildings in Rockford in the Mission Revival style. These were the Villa Seville Apartments (built in 1925) and the Eldorado Apartments (built in 1927).
Why These Apartments Are Special
The Valencia Court Apartments are a great example of Mission Revival architecture in Illinois. Because of their special design, the National Park Service added them to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 2009. This list helps protect important historical places in the United States.
About two years later, the apartments were also listed as a "contributing property" to the Garrison–Coronado–Haskell Historic District. This means they are an important part of a larger historical area.
